Apple to Build “Prototype” Apple Store in Palo Alto

By Bryan Chaffin

Dec 22nd, 2011 5:31 PM EST

Apple is working on a new and larger Apple Store retail location in Palo Alto, and according to The San Jose Mercury News, the spot was pitched to the city as a prototype design that will include a commons space for Apple’s community of customers to gather. The store will be just one block away from the company’s existing Apple Store location n downtown Palo Alto, which was one of the first retail stores Apple opened in the Bay Area, the company’s back yard.

Apple’s Current Apple Store at 451 University in Palo Alto, CASource: Apple

“Our Palo Alto store was one of our first retail stores when we opened it nearly a decade ago and it’s been incredibly popular,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. “We are planning a beautiful new store just a few steps away, building on everything we’ve learned from our customers in Palo Alto and around the world.”

Apple is infamous for being secretive about even its retail store plans, and the above-quoted acknowledgement may stem in part from the fact that plans for the store have been publicly filed with the city of Palo Alto. According to those plans, the lot is 9,250 square feet, and Apple will raze an existing structure called the Liddicoats building. Liddicoats shut down in 1994, and a furniture store was the last business to occupy the retail space.

Apple’s new space will be a two story structure with more than 15,000 square feet. Plans filed with the city show that it will feature both stone and steel in its construction.

Downtown Palo Alto is a vibrant downtown commercial district, and the city maintains a tight grip over businesses and architecture in the community. Apple is generally-speaking a highly sought-after target for shopping malls and downtown retail zones, and many towns go out of their way to work with the company.

The Mercury News said that Apple will shut down its existing store at 451 University that is a block away from the new location—the new store will be at 340 University. There is no stated time frame for the new store to open.